After unveiling their robot-powered LightSpray tech earlier this year, On were on the ground in Paris to share a closer look at their robots in action. Taking place at their On Labs pop-up, we could get a glimpse at how those ultra-lightweight, one-piece spay-on uppers come to fruition. The process involves a 1.5km stream of filament that gets spun in circles to create a fine mesh-like feel, which then gets fused with heat to make sure it's attached to the sole unit. After trying a pair on we can confirm they're super strong and supportive – and that's not surprising when you consider the suped-up shoe carried Hellen Obiri to her marathon win in Boston. All eyes on whether this Cloudboom will Strike again at the Games!
A new chapter just got added to the athletic footwear technology book. Surging Swiss athletic shoe brand On just unveiled an exciting new spray-on construction process for creating running shoes.
The impressive new technology dubbed by On as ‘LightSpray’ is a groundbreaking new way of creating an aerodynamic and lightweight upper for performance footwear. LightSpray is created by an automated robotic arm that sprays recycled thermoplastic material into a one-piece shoe upper. The ultra-thin, socklike upper is then bonded onto the sole unit without using any glue, instead using a thermal-fusing technology that greatly reduces the materials, and therefore weight, of the finished shoe. On claims that the entire manufacturing process takes only three minutes to build the shoe, a stark contrast to the standard athletic shoe manufacturing process that can take days or even weeks to complete. On also say that the shoe is produced with 75 per cent fewer carbon emissions than the brand’s other racing models.
The debut running shoe to feature LightSpray tech is the Cloudboom Strike LS, which is now the lightest shoe made by On at just 170 grams for the men’s version and 158 grams for the women’s version. The Cloudboom Strike LS is ready for On to outfit their elite runners in for the 2024 Olympics: distance runner Hellen Obiri will wear a pair during the marathon. Those in Paris for the Olympics will be able to stop by the On Labs hub to watch live demos of the Cloudboom being manufactured.
After the LightSpray technology is proven at the Olympics, On plans to make a small number of Cloudbooms available for consumers to purchase at the New York City marathon in November 2024. As production of the technology scales up, expect On to debut additional LightSpray models in the near future.